Blog Modules

Who Are the Five Famous Jewellers of the Future?

News

Who Are the Five Famous Jewellers of the Future?

An eminent panel of consumer media experts, together with the British luxury fine jewellery designer, Shaun Leane, are set to select IJL’s 2017 Bright Young Gems – the five young jewellers chosen to be the industry’s next stars. Alice Edwards, Jewellery ... Read More
Who Are the Five Famous Jewellers of the Future?

News

Who Are the Five Famous Jewellers of the Future?

An eminent panel of consumer media experts, together with the British luxury fine jewellery designer, Shaun Leane, are set to select IJL’s 2017 Bright Young Gems – the five young jewellers chosen to be the industry’s next stars. Alice Edwards, Jewellery ... Read More

News

Industry Update: Calls for Fairer Trade in Diamonds Will Revive Ethics Debate

by David Brough • • 1 Comment

By David Brough

A fairer trade in diamonds would secure a better livelihood for the world’s poorest diamond diggers, boost sales to Millennial consumers and help to even out the debate over ethical production of natural and lab-grown stones.

Both types of diamond production need to co-habit in clearly segmented markets, for which demand looks likely to grow healthily around the world in the coming years as affluent Millennials develop their taste for luxury and demand high ethical standards.

But it is inappropriate for one side of the diamond market to claim the moral high ground over the other.

Discover the Fair Luxury Seminars at IJL 2017!

Those advocates of lab-grown diamonds who say consumers should not buy natural diamonds on the grounds that they are brutally extracted or that they harm the environment, may have no regard for the livelihoods of some of the world’s most vulnerable diamond diggers, like those making the most meagre of livings in Sierra Leone.

If the real question is how to produce diamonds in a sustainable way that maximises fair market opportunities for all, then creating a fair trade in diamonds, giving diggers and miners better incomes and improved local infrastructure such as accommodation, schools and clinics, could be one way forward.

Martin Rapaport, a leading figure in the global diamonds trade, has boldly said: “Those who issue blanket statements and marketing initiatives that claim synthetic diamonds are more ethical than natural diamonds, are liars.

“Instead of helping diggers become socially responsible and supporting fair trade diamonds, they are telling people not to buy from diggers. That is evil.”

Fair trade in diamonds has not taken off in a significant way so far despite some attempts, while there has been more notable success in fair trade in other commodities such as gold, silver, coffee and bananas.

Expert insights from the Fairtrade Foundation at IJL 2017

Those initiatives have led in many cases to better livelihoods for many artisanal miners and growers, who have benefited from improved working conditions, local facilities and incomes, with a sustainable production and careful tracking of output from origin to market.

There is a sense that Millennial consumers will buy into lab-grown diamonds because production does not degrade the environment, embraces the latest technologies, and involves no risk of coming from conflict areas.

As Martin Rapaport has said: “While traditional diamond dealers and jewellers are still unsure whether or not to sell synthetics, some forward-thinking firms believe that synthetic diamond jewellery is the wave of the future and that Millennials will prefer synthetics to the real thing. It would be wrong to criticise synthetic diamonds because they are not natural diamonds. Markets and consumers should be offered the broadest basket of products and services.”

Get top advice from the Responsible Jewellery Council at IJL 2017

While it is perfectly justifiable for manufacturers of lab-grown diamonds to profit from their production, marketers need to stay well clear of any outlandish claims that their product is more ethical than natural diamonds, and there should be a fresh impetus looking at ways to bring better livelihoods to the world’s poorest diggers and miners.

IJL is #withyou drawing diverse opinions from around the jewellery trade. Find out more about our packed seminar programme for 2017 here. 

Blog, Exhibiting, Industry, Trends

Spring/Summer 2018 Trend Focus at IJL 2017

by IJL •

This year’s Trend Focus events at IJL 2017 will give visitors an in-depth and comprehensive review of Spring/Summer 2018 jewellery trends, with daily catwalk shows revealing the key looks and collections selected by IJL’s new Trends Editor, Rachael Taylor, together with a dedicated Trends Seminar on the first day of the show.

THE CATWALK

The IJL Trends Catwalk will give an inspirational insight into the five main Spring/Summer 2018 trends, showing how best to commercially bring them to life to suit different brands and businesses.

Stunning on-trend pieces will be presented on the Trends Catwalk at the following times:
Sunday: 12:00, 14:00, 16:30, 18:00
Monday: 11:00, 12:30, 15:00
Tuesday: 12:00, 15:00

THE TRENDS

The five key themes identified as especially key to the jewellery sector for Spring/Summer 2018 are Chase The Rainbow, The Artisan, The Next Frontier and True Romance. Each will be uniquely illustrated with flagship pieces from some of the brands and designers at IJL 2017.

CHASE THE RAINBOW

Innovation in jewellery craft often brings surreal colour statements. Bespoke alloys or rhodium plating can transform gold into shades of fuscia, green, purple or black, while heat transforms titanium into peacock hues to stand out from, or blend in with, gemstones.

Coloured enamel and ceramics add accents or form the basis of designs, while bright leathers, feathers and silks create tactile flashes of colour.

THE ARTISAN

As technology infiltrates every aspect of our lives, a new appreciation for traditional crafts is stirred. Centuries-old jewellery techniques including filigree, mille grain, gemstone carving, granulation and enamelling are a refreshing alternative to mass production.

Jewels that appear to have been made by hand or personalised tap into consumers’ desire for experiences over purchases. Look too for jewels that mimic a couturier’s skills – metal that crumples like fabric or creates lace-like patterns; gems that evoke the lavish of brocade; ornate pearl embellishments.

THE NEXT FRONTIER

The future is now. Geometric lines, 3D printing, abstract shapes and pixelated patterns make for exciting jewels inspired by the virtual worlds we inhabit. Delicate lines of diamonds or precious metal can be used to create cage shapes, spheres, open silhouettes. Jewellery embedded with tech gives us a glimpse into the future.

Yet this trend has a retro side too, with romanticised 1960s-inspired visions of space exploration translated into heavy silver designs, glittering finishes, collars and cuffs, hoop earrings, celestial motifs, metallic spheres, Perspex and acrylics, and galactic gemstones like opals.

TRUE ROMANCE

Ladylike styles are once again back in vogue with soft colour palates, elegant cuts and sophisticated styles that echo timeless glamour. Create sugary colourways with pretty pastel gemstones such as kunzite, rose quartz, morganite, pale amethyst, chalcedony and coral.

Pearls of all shades are key to this trend, presented in modern styles as the hero of the design. Diamonds should be kept light in simple line bracelets, dotted on long chains or micro-set to create minimalist open silhouettes and fluid shapes. Botanical and floral motifs add some refined drama.

SPECIAL CATWALK SCENE – HIGH SPIRIT

Next year’s bridal trends ooze confidence and exuberance. Dramatic bell sleeves on dresses, capes and off-the-shoulder styles bring a sense of playfulness and modernity to the wedding party, while sheer mesh with lace details in strategic places and deep V necklines and backs give dresses a sexy edge.

Statement earrings or chokers work well with bare necklines, as well as the season’s other big trend for minimalist dresses, while lustrous bright pearls perfectly illuminate the new alternative nude palette. Florals, embellishment, glamour, maximalism – this is going to be one fun wedding!

THE TREND SEMINAR

Kicking off the Sunday morning seminar programme in the Inspiration Theatre, Rachael Taylor will present an analysis of the trends in her seminar SS18 Trends: From the Catwalk to Your Store. She will discuss how retailers and buyers can best use this valuable information to benefit their business commercially.

IJL is #withyou curating the biggest catwalk and fashion trends especially for the jewellery sector. For further details, please visit: www.jewellerylondon.com/seminars. For free registration, go to: www.jewellerylondon.com/register.

Blog, Education, Trends

5 Things You Can Do Today To Make Your Jewellery Website Eye-Catching

by Warren Knight • • 2 Comments

According to Econsultancy, only 22% of businesses were satisfied with their conversion rates in 2016.

This tells me that having a strong website is one of the most important aspects of building a brand online, and this is especially true for jewellery businesses and retailers.

The world of jewellery is over-populated with brands marketing their products through their websites, but as we continue to move through a digital transition, we have to be continuously improving our messages online, and most importantly; our website.

When I speak at International Jewellery London every year, I always speak with jewellery business owners after my talk, and whilst I am known as a Social Media and Digital Marketing expert, I get copious amounts of questions about websites. I hear the following on a regular basis :

“I have spent so much money working with a website designer to build my website but I am disappointed”.

Or

“My website is not selling like it should, and I’m not sure how to fix it”.

You’re probably reading this nodding your head, or smiling because it’s something you have asked yourself more than once and trust me; having a website, and generation leads and sales is very difficult.

To help you, as a jewellery business, to improve your website, I want to share with you five things that you can do today to make your jewellery website better.

Use Visuals To Evoke Emotion

Regardless of whether we are talking about blog images for your jewellery business, or visuals throughout the rest of your website, they speak volumes.

Did you know: content that is paired with a coloured image is likely to receive 80% more views than content without a coloured image?

Think about your target customer, and what they most want to see from you as a jewellery business. If you are going to talk about your products throughout your website, make sure you accompany this with clear, professional and engaging visuals of your jewellery line.

Useful tool: take a look at Canva to help you create engaging visuals.

Use Product Reviews Throughout Your Website

You will notice that on my warren-knight.com website, I have a selection of testimonials from clients of mine, or businesses (just like you) who have signed up to one of my courses, and benefited from it.

Do you have product reviews on your website for all of your jewellery products? Remember that there are millions of jewellery websites selling products similar to yours so to stand out, and create a good first impression, use reviews from real customers to give you that social proof you need.

Use Video

Recent studies show that 43% of people want to see MORE video content from businesses that they want to purchase from. As a jewellery retailer, wholesaler, or brand; there are so many opportunities for you to capitalise on through the use of video.

Think about your jewellery line, and how you can create individual videos of each jewellery product and have these videos on the pages for the products.

Also remember that people buy from people so they want to see YOU, the jewellery brand owner so if you are looking to create more visual content, think about getting in front of a camera, and creating a short video so that you audience can get to know you.

Useful tools: If you want to create a video of slideshow images, take a look at Animoto. If you are a Mac user, iMovie Maker is a great tool. If you are a windows user, take a look at Windows Movie Maker.

Have A Visual Search Bar

As a jewellery brand, retailer or wholesaler; you want to create a website that is an archive of great industry-focused information that will ultimately help you connect with your target audience.

You want to make the user-journey throughout your website as smooth, and as easy as possible and a big part of making this happen, is having a search bar. Rather than forcing your potential prospect from spending their time scrolling through your website to find the information they are looking for; make it easy and use a search bar.

Both Google and Pinterest are now using their search functionality in a more complex, user-driven way by giving people the option to search based on visuals, rather than text. This shows how important visuals will be moving forward, and also having search functionality to find what is most important.

Going Mobile

Over 60% of all online searches are now through mobile, and 80% of Social Media searches are through mobile. If you are using a website builder like Wix, BigCommerce, Magento, WordPress or SquareSpace, consider choosing a theme that is responsive because over half of your website traffic will come from mobile and if the experience is not what the user would expect from your jewellery website, they will find that necklace, pair of earrings or ring elsewhere.

I hope that my top 5 tips will help you improve your jewellery website but to really give you more value, I want to share with you a new, exclusive and live webinar I am going to be running on the 30th August at 7pm.

As a jewellery business, having a website is crucial to online success, and I am going to share with you the importance of this, and 7 simple ways you can get those first 1,000 visitors to your jewellery website.

Find out, in just 60 minutes my formula to creating and running a website that tells a story about you and your brand and is not only good to look at but is functional, effective and meets important goals like increasing web traffic and increase visitor conversion rate.

Here’s Why You Should Care:

  • Just one second of added page load speed can see sales drop by 27%
  • Nearly 8 in 10 of consumers would stop engaging with content that doesn’t display well on their device
  • 44% of website visitors will leave a company’s website if there’s no contact information or phone number.

How You’ll Benefit:

  • Learn the importance of personalising your communication
  • How to choose a website platform that will suit your specific business needs
  • How to find the right domain name
  • How you can decrease bounce rate, and increase on-site time
  • How to utilise SEO for your website to get on the first page of Google
  • How to increase your conversion rate with one simple action
  • Learn the importance of having a website that is mobile friendly

How does that sound? If you would like to sign up, and join me you can do so here.

IJL is #withyou bringing digital experts, social media gurus and online marketing experts together under the domed roof of Olympia. Find out more about our NEW DIGIfest seminar theatre at IJL 2017 here. 

Blog, Industry, News, People

The IJL 2017 Bright Young Gems Winning Designers Announced!

by IJL •

The IJL five 2017 Bright Young Gems have been named as Kristina Ferenchuk, Ishtar Liljefors, Holly O’Hanlon, Annabel Large and Leanne Yau. 

This IJL initiative, now in its thirteenth year, is a unique opportunity for emerging designers, providing them with an outstanding commercial platform and excellent exposure at IJL 2017 this September, as well as pre-show mentoring to ensure that they all maximise their IJL experience and capitalise on the benefits of exhibiting at the UK’s premier jewellery industry show.

The BYG’s are selected from final year students and students who have graduated from UK colleges and universities in the past two years by a prestigious judging panel – comprising Hilary Alexander, OBE, Editor at Large Hello! Fashion Monthly Magazine; Annabel Davidson, Editor of Vanity Fair on Jewellery; Alice Edwards, Jewellery Editor for Sunday Times Style and The Times LUXX magazine; Charlie Boyd, Executive Fashion and Jewellery Editor at both Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country, and Shaun Leane, the award-winning British luxury Fine Jewellery Designer.

All were very impressed with the high standard and diversity of work presented, with competition so fierce that three additional designers were named as Highly Commended by the judges. This year The Benevolent Society will be providing each winner with a £200 travel and accommodation  grant.

Caroline Broadhead, Course Leader of BA Jewellery Design at Central St Martins, says: “Initiatives like IJL Bright Young Gems to help young designers get started are really important. They create a welcome bridge between the college structure and professional life.”

“Trail-blazing jewellers such as Tomasz Donocik and, more recently, Beau Han Xu, underscore the importance of the Bright Young Gems platform as a launch pad for the newest and brightest in the industry. This year’s winning designers once again demonstrate the high degree of technical virtuosity and creative skill that the jewellery industry needs in the 21st century,” explains Hilary Alexander.

Sam Willoughby, Event Director, concludes: “These five talented young designers follow in the footsteps of the previous 60 Bright Young Gems  – a Hall of Fame that includes jewellers Pippa Small, Tomasz Donocik, Daisy Knights, Imogen Belfield and Fernando Jorge.  Many thanks go to their universities and colleges for their support, to our judges  who have invested a great deal of time  in making their selections and also to The Benevolent Society for their grant support. We wish this year’s Bright Young Gems the success they deserve at IJL.  Good luck and enjoy the show!”

This year’s Bright Young Gems are:

Kristina Ferenchuk

A graduate in Jewellery Design at Central St Martins, Kristina has developed her own style and way of working with precious metals. She handcrafts all her pieces herself, enabling her to technically develop moving parts and mechanisms and opening up possibilities for future designs. Kristina gets great personal satisfaction through overseeing  the design development through to the final piece that has weight, meaning and a future life.

Her jewellery is a romantic interpretation of the universe and how it is interconnected and continuously changing. All her pieces are articulated and move in an interconnected manner.  Whether on or off the body, her aim is to engage the wearer in the magical process of playful creation with each piece, sparking curiosity and a fascination with the unknown.

Annabel Large

Annabel, a jewellery design graduate from Birmingham School of Jewellery, has a passion for precious metal and gem set fine jewellery. Having previously studied fine art she has a creative flair for the design process and is inspired to design and create fine jewellery that challenges the traditional aesthetic, offering a timeless alternative to women who’s style is as unique as they are; adornments that become future heirlooms and are crafted from precious metals and hand selected gemstones.

Ishtar Liljefors

Ishtar Liljefors is a contemporary art jeweller who has recently completed her degree in Jewellery & Silversmithing at Plymouth College of Art. Ishtar works predominantly with precious metals and gemstones using traditional bench techniques. She designs and creates conceptual pieces of jewellery that explore her interests of the natural, historical and fantasy worlds.

Her inspiration for her sterling silver stacking rings with cast and set sapphire was born from fairy tale narratives. These rings are part of her ‘Once upon a time’ collection, and echo the theme of encapsulation and amulets. Here the stone was cast within and then set.

Holly O’Hanlon

Holly recently graduated in Jewellery Design at Central St Martins. Her aim is to give priority to the overlooked, utilitarian or mundane, and in particular to elements that remain from a practical task. The minimal and finely detailed brooches of slate, steel and precious metals from her graduate collection reflect her observations of excess layers of decomposing posters and fragmented signs on walls. Deceptive, playful and engaging, the jewellery aims to still a moment between a purposeful action and it’s lasting remains.

Leanne Yau

Leanne is a graduate of Central St Martins. As a Chinese student born in Britain, her perspective as a young designer considers the clash and harmony between these two cultures and how they have affected her as a citizen. Leanne’s  focal point has always been her curiosity of what it means to be considered a British citizen.  Her collection is a playful yet powerful illustration of difference between the two cultures she lives in, taking stereotypical objects and making them more valuable than they should be.

The three designers whose work was Highly Commended by the judges are Olivia Creber (Royal College of Art), Hannah Viner (University for the Creative Arts Farnham) and Susanna Gogarty (London Metropolitan University).  Examples of their work will be on show at IJL 2017.

Free registration for IJL is now open. Visit www.jewellerylondon.com/register to ensure you receive your Essential Guide to the show and badge in the post.

IJL is #withyou supporting young and emerging design talents as they pursue a career in the jewellery sector. Meet this year’s KickStarters and Bright Young Gems here. 

News

Industry Update: Calls for Fairer Trade in Diamonds Will Revive Ethics Debate

by David Brough • • 1 Comment

By David Brough

A fairer trade in diamonds would secure a better livelihood for the world’s poorest diamond diggers, boost sales to Millennial consumers and help to even out the debate over ethical production of natural and lab-grown stones.

Both types of diamond production need to co-habit in clearly segmented markets, for which demand looks likely to grow healthily around the world in the coming years as affluent Millennials develop their taste for luxury and demand high ethical standards.

But it is inappropriate for one side of the diamond market to claim the moral high ground over the other.

Discover the Fair Luxury Seminars at IJL 2017!

Those advocates of lab-grown diamonds who say consumers should not buy natural diamonds on the grounds that they are brutally extracted or that they harm the environment, may have no regard for the livelihoods of some of the world’s most vulnerable diamond diggers, like those making the most meagre of livings in Sierra Leone.

If the real question is how to produce diamonds in a sustainable way that maximises fair market opportunities for all, then creating a fair trade in diamonds, giving diggers and miners better incomes and improved local infrastructure such as accommodation, schools and clinics, could be one way forward.

Martin Rapaport, a leading figure in the global diamonds trade, has boldly said: “Those who issue blanket statements and marketing initiatives that claim synthetic diamonds are more ethical than natural diamonds, are liars.

“Instead of helping diggers become socially responsible and supporting fair trade diamonds, they are telling people not to buy from diggers. That is evil.”

Fair trade in diamonds has not taken off in a significant way so far despite some attempts, while there has been more notable success in fair trade in other commodities such as gold, silver, coffee and bananas.

Expert insights from the Fairtrade Foundation at IJL 2017

Those initiatives have led in many cases to better livelihoods for many artisanal miners and growers, who have benefited from improved working conditions, local facilities and incomes, with a sustainable production and careful tracking of output from origin to market.

There is a sense that Millennial consumers will buy into lab-grown diamonds because production does not degrade the environment, embraces the latest technologies, and involves no risk of coming from conflict areas.

As Martin Rapaport has said: “While traditional diamond dealers and jewellers are still unsure whether or not to sell synthetics, some forward-thinking firms believe that synthetic diamond jewellery is the wave of the future and that Millennials will prefer synthetics to the real thing. It would be wrong to criticise synthetic diamonds because they are not natural diamonds. Markets and consumers should be offered the broadest basket of products and services.”

Get top advice from the Responsible Jewellery Council at IJL 2017

While it is perfectly justifiable for manufacturers of lab-grown diamonds to profit from their production, marketers need to stay well clear of any outlandish claims that their product is more ethical than natural diamonds, and there should be a fresh impetus looking at ways to bring better livelihoods to the world’s poorest diggers and miners.

IJL is #withyou drawing diverse opinions from around the jewellery trade. Find out more about our packed seminar programme for 2017 here. 

Blog, Exhibiting, Industry, Trends

Spring/Summer 2018 Trend Focus at IJL 2017

by IJL •

This year’s Trend Focus events at IJL 2017 will give visitors an in-depth and comprehensive review of Spring/Summer 2018 jewellery trends, with daily catwalk shows revealing the key looks and collections selected by IJL’s new Trends Editor, Rachael Taylor, together with a dedicated Trends Seminar on the first day of the show.

THE CATWALK

The IJL Trends Catwalk will give an inspirational insight into the five main Spring/Summer 2018 trends, showing how best to commercially bring them to life to suit different brands and businesses.

Stunning on-trend pieces will be presented on the Trends Catwalk at the following times:
Sunday: 12:00, 14:00, 16:30, 18:00
Monday: 11:00, 12:30, 15:00
Tuesday: 12:00, 15:00

THE TRENDS

The five key themes identified as especially key to the jewellery sector for Spring/Summer 2018 are Chase The Rainbow, The Artisan, The Next Frontier and True Romance. Each will be uniquely illustrated with flagship pieces from some of the brands and designers at IJL 2017.

CHASE THE RAINBOW

Innovation in jewellery craft often brings surreal colour statements. Bespoke alloys or rhodium plating can transform gold into shades of fuscia, green, purple or black, while heat transforms titanium into peacock hues to stand out from, or blend in with, gemstones.

Coloured enamel and ceramics add accents or form the basis of designs, while bright leathers, feathers and silks create tactile flashes of colour.

THE ARTISAN

As technology infiltrates every aspect of our lives, a new appreciation for traditional crafts is stirred. Centuries-old jewellery techniques including filigree, mille grain, gemstone carving, granulation and enamelling are a refreshing alternative to mass production.

Jewels that appear to have been made by hand or personalised tap into consumers’ desire for experiences over purchases. Look too for jewels that mimic a couturier’s skills – metal that crumples like fabric or creates lace-like patterns; gems that evoke the lavish of brocade; ornate pearl embellishments.

THE NEXT FRONTIER

The future is now. Geometric lines, 3D printing, abstract shapes and pixelated patterns make for exciting jewels inspired by the virtual worlds we inhabit. Delicate lines of diamonds or precious metal can be used to create cage shapes, spheres, open silhouettes. Jewellery embedded with tech gives us a glimpse into the future.

Yet this trend has a retro side too, with romanticised 1960s-inspired visions of space exploration translated into heavy silver designs, glittering finishes, collars and cuffs, hoop earrings, celestial motifs, metallic spheres, Perspex and acrylics, and galactic gemstones like opals.

TRUE ROMANCE

Ladylike styles are once again back in vogue with soft colour palates, elegant cuts and sophisticated styles that echo timeless glamour. Create sugary colourways with pretty pastel gemstones such as kunzite, rose quartz, morganite, pale amethyst, chalcedony and coral.

Pearls of all shades are key to this trend, presented in modern styles as the hero of the design. Diamonds should be kept light in simple line bracelets, dotted on long chains or micro-set to create minimalist open silhouettes and fluid shapes. Botanical and floral motifs add some refined drama.

SPECIAL CATWALK SCENE – HIGH SPIRIT

Next year’s bridal trends ooze confidence and exuberance. Dramatic bell sleeves on dresses, capes and off-the-shoulder styles bring a sense of playfulness and modernity to the wedding party, while sheer mesh with lace details in strategic places and deep V necklines and backs give dresses a sexy edge.

Statement earrings or chokers work well with bare necklines, as well as the season’s other big trend for minimalist dresses, while lustrous bright pearls perfectly illuminate the new alternative nude palette. Florals, embellishment, glamour, maximalism – this is going to be one fun wedding!

THE TREND SEMINAR

Kicking off the Sunday morning seminar programme in the Inspiration Theatre, Rachael Taylor will present an analysis of the trends in her seminar SS18 Trends: From the Catwalk to Your Store. She will discuss how retailers and buyers can best use this valuable information to benefit their business commercially.

IJL is #withyou curating the biggest catwalk and fashion trends especially for the jewellery sector. For further details, please visit: www.jewellerylondon.com/seminars. For free registration, go to: www.jewellerylondon.com/register.

Blog, Education, Trends

5 Things You Can Do Today To Make Your Jewellery Website Eye-Catching

by Warren Knight • • 2 Comments

According to Econsultancy, only 22% of businesses were satisfied with their conversion rates in 2016.

This tells me that having a strong website is one of the most important aspects of building a brand online, and this is especially true for jewellery businesses and retailers.

The world of jewellery is over-populated with brands marketing their products through their websites, but as we continue to move through a digital transition, we have to be continuously improving our messages online, and most importantly; our website.

When I speak at International Jewellery London every year, I always speak with jewellery business owners after my talk, and whilst I am known as a Social Media and Digital Marketing expert, I get copious amounts of questions about websites. I hear the following on a regular basis :

“I have spent so much money working with a website designer to build my website but I am disappointed”.

Or

“My website is not selling like it should, and I’m not sure how to fix it”.

You’re probably reading this nodding your head, or smiling because it’s something you have asked yourself more than once and trust me; having a website, and generation leads and sales is very difficult.

To help you, as a jewellery business, to improve your website, I want to share with you five things that you can do today to make your jewellery website better.

Use Visuals To Evoke Emotion

Regardless of whether we are talking about blog images for your jewellery business, or visuals throughout the rest of your website, they speak volumes.

Did you know: content that is paired with a coloured image is likely to receive 80% more views than content without a coloured image?

Think about your target customer, and what they most want to see from you as a jewellery business. If you are going to talk about your products throughout your website, make sure you accompany this with clear, professional and engaging visuals of your jewellery line.

Useful tool: take a look at Canva to help you create engaging visuals.

Use Product Reviews Throughout Your Website

You will notice that on my warren-knight.com website, I have a selection of testimonials from clients of mine, or businesses (just like you) who have signed up to one of my courses, and benefited from it.

Do you have product reviews on your website for all of your jewellery products? Remember that there are millions of jewellery websites selling products similar to yours so to stand out, and create a good first impression, use reviews from real customers to give you that social proof you need.

Use Video

Recent studies show that 43% of people want to see MORE video content from businesses that they want to purchase from. As a jewellery retailer, wholesaler, or brand; there are so many opportunities for you to capitalise on through the use of video.

Think about your jewellery line, and how you can create individual videos of each jewellery product and have these videos on the pages for the products.

Also remember that people buy from people so they want to see YOU, the jewellery brand owner so if you are looking to create more visual content, think about getting in front of a camera, and creating a short video so that you audience can get to know you.

Useful tools: If you want to create a video of slideshow images, take a look at Animoto. If you are a Mac user, iMovie Maker is a great tool. If you are a windows user, take a look at Windows Movie Maker.

Have A Visual Search Bar

As a jewellery brand, retailer or wholesaler; you want to create a website that is an archive of great industry-focused information that will ultimately help you connect with your target audience.

You want to make the user-journey throughout your website as smooth, and as easy as possible and a big part of making this happen, is having a search bar. Rather than forcing your potential prospect from spending their time scrolling through your website to find the information they are looking for; make it easy and use a search bar.

Both Google and Pinterest are now using their search functionality in a more complex, user-driven way by giving people the option to search based on visuals, rather than text. This shows how important visuals will be moving forward, and also having search functionality to find what is most important.

Going Mobile

Over 60% of all online searches are now through mobile, and 80% of Social Media searches are through mobile. If you are using a website builder like Wix, BigCommerce, Magento, WordPress or SquareSpace, consider choosing a theme that is responsive because over half of your website traffic will come from mobile and if the experience is not what the user would expect from your jewellery website, they will find that necklace, pair of earrings or ring elsewhere.

I hope that my top 5 tips will help you improve your jewellery website but to really give you more value, I want to share with you a new, exclusive and live webinar I am going to be running on the 30th August at 7pm.

As a jewellery business, having a website is crucial to online success, and I am going to share with you the importance of this, and 7 simple ways you can get those first 1,000 visitors to your jewellery website.

Find out, in just 60 minutes my formula to creating and running a website that tells a story about you and your brand and is not only good to look at but is functional, effective and meets important goals like increasing web traffic and increase visitor conversion rate.

Here’s Why You Should Care:

  • Just one second of added page load speed can see sales drop by 27%
  • Nearly 8 in 10 of consumers would stop engaging with content that doesn’t display well on their device
  • 44% of website visitors will leave a company’s website if there’s no contact information or phone number.

How You’ll Benefit:

  • Learn the importance of personalising your communication
  • How to choose a website platform that will suit your specific business needs
  • How to find the right domain name
  • How you can decrease bounce rate, and increase on-site time
  • How to utilise SEO for your website to get on the first page of Google
  • How to increase your conversion rate with one simple action
  • Learn the importance of having a website that is mobile friendly

How does that sound? If you would like to sign up, and join me you can do so here.

IJL is #withyou bringing digital experts, social media gurus and online marketing experts together under the domed roof of Olympia. Find out more about our NEW DIGIfest seminar theatre at IJL 2017 here. 

Blog, Industry, News, People

The IJL 2017 Bright Young Gems Winning Designers Announced!

by IJL •

The IJL five 2017 Bright Young Gems have been named as Kristina Ferenchuk, Ishtar Liljefors, Holly O’Hanlon, Annabel Large and Leanne Yau. 

This IJL initiative, now in its thirteenth year, is a unique opportunity for emerging designers, providing them with an outstanding commercial platform and excellent exposure at IJL 2017 this September, as well as pre-show mentoring to ensure that they all maximise their IJL experience and capitalise on the benefits of exhibiting at the UK’s premier jewellery industry show.

The BYG’s are selected from final year students and students who have graduated from UK colleges and universities in the past two years by a prestigious judging panel – comprising Hilary Alexander, OBE, Editor at Large Hello! Fashion Monthly Magazine; Annabel Davidson, Editor of Vanity Fair on Jewellery; Alice Edwards, Jewellery Editor for Sunday Times Style and The Times LUXX magazine; Charlie Boyd, Executive Fashion and Jewellery Editor at both Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country, and Shaun Leane, the award-winning British luxury Fine Jewellery Designer.

All were very impressed with the high standard and diversity of work presented, with competition so fierce that three additional designers were named as Highly Commended by the judges. This year The Benevolent Society will be providing each winner with a £200 travel and accommodation  grant.

Caroline Broadhead, Course Leader of BA Jewellery Design at Central St Martins, says: “Initiatives like IJL Bright Young Gems to help young designers get started are really important. They create a welcome bridge between the college structure and professional life.”

“Trail-blazing jewellers such as Tomasz Donocik and, more recently, Beau Han Xu, underscore the importance of the Bright Young Gems platform as a launch pad for the newest and brightest in the industry. This year’s winning designers once again demonstrate the high degree of technical virtuosity and creative skill that the jewellery industry needs in the 21st century,” explains Hilary Alexander.

Sam Willoughby, Event Director, concludes: “These five talented young designers follow in the footsteps of the previous 60 Bright Young Gems  – a Hall of Fame that includes jewellers Pippa Small, Tomasz Donocik, Daisy Knights, Imogen Belfield and Fernando Jorge.  Many thanks go to their universities and colleges for their support, to our judges  who have invested a great deal of time  in making their selections and also to The Benevolent Society for their grant support. We wish this year’s Bright Young Gems the success they deserve at IJL.  Good luck and enjoy the show!”

This year’s Bright Young Gems are:

Kristina Ferenchuk

A graduate in Jewellery Design at Central St Martins, Kristina has developed her own style and way of working with precious metals. She handcrafts all her pieces herself, enabling her to technically develop moving parts and mechanisms and opening up possibilities for future designs. Kristina gets great personal satisfaction through overseeing  the design development through to the final piece that has weight, meaning and a future life.

Her jewellery is a romantic interpretation of the universe and how it is interconnected and continuously changing. All her pieces are articulated and move in an interconnected manner.  Whether on or off the body, her aim is to engage the wearer in the magical process of playful creation with each piece, sparking curiosity and a fascination with the unknown.

Annabel Large

Annabel, a jewellery design graduate from Birmingham School of Jewellery, has a passion for precious metal and gem set fine jewellery. Having previously studied fine art she has a creative flair for the design process and is inspired to design and create fine jewellery that challenges the traditional aesthetic, offering a timeless alternative to women who’s style is as unique as they are; adornments that become future heirlooms and are crafted from precious metals and hand selected gemstones.

Ishtar Liljefors

Ishtar Liljefors is a contemporary art jeweller who has recently completed her degree in Jewellery & Silversmithing at Plymouth College of Art. Ishtar works predominantly with precious metals and gemstones using traditional bench techniques. She designs and creates conceptual pieces of jewellery that explore her interests of the natural, historical and fantasy worlds.

Her inspiration for her sterling silver stacking rings with cast and set sapphire was born from fairy tale narratives. These rings are part of her ‘Once upon a time’ collection, and echo the theme of encapsulation and amulets. Here the stone was cast within and then set.

Holly O’Hanlon

Holly recently graduated in Jewellery Design at Central St Martins. Her aim is to give priority to the overlooked, utilitarian or mundane, and in particular to elements that remain from a practical task. The minimal and finely detailed brooches of slate, steel and precious metals from her graduate collection reflect her observations of excess layers of decomposing posters and fragmented signs on walls. Deceptive, playful and engaging, the jewellery aims to still a moment between a purposeful action and it’s lasting remains.

Leanne Yau

Leanne is a graduate of Central St Martins. As a Chinese student born in Britain, her perspective as a young designer considers the clash and harmony between these two cultures and how they have affected her as a citizen. Leanne’s  focal point has always been her curiosity of what it means to be considered a British citizen.  Her collection is a playful yet powerful illustration of difference between the two cultures she lives in, taking stereotypical objects and making them more valuable than they should be.

The three designers whose work was Highly Commended by the judges are Olivia Creber (Royal College of Art), Hannah Viner (University for the Creative Arts Farnham) and Susanna Gogarty (London Metropolitan University).  Examples of their work will be on show at IJL 2017.

Free registration for IJL is now open. Visit www.jewellerylondon.com/register to ensure you receive your Essential Guide to the show and badge in the post.

IJL is #withyou supporting young and emerging design talents as they pursue a career in the jewellery sector. Meet this year’s KickStarters and Bright Young Gems here.